I'm looking forward to my first aut-x'ing experience this weekend. Any tips or tricks I should know?

 

1. Bring fluids to drink. And a snack.
2. Set tire pressures higher than street. Start just over 40psi at all four and then bleed air to tune the car.
3. have fun.
4. Talk to experienced drivers. Find out if there is a novice coordinator to show you the ropes.
5. register and tech early
6. Have Fun.
7. walk the course as many times as possible. don't try to memorize it, just get really familiar.
8 HAVE FUN!

 

First time out, hit a cone. Just center one and run right over it. Once you do that, and see that nothing bad happens, you won't be worried about hitting any others. You have to be willing to hit them to be fast!

Matt

 

Look ahead.
Go slow where your're supposed to go slow.

 

What everyone else said...

Also, if the rules for the club you are running with allow you to take an experienced rider along, ask someone to ride with you on your first run or two. Sometimes beginners have trouble finding the course in the "sea of cones" and it's pretty frustrating to DNF your runs when you don't know why. An experienced rider can help keep you on course.

oh... and HAVE FUN!!!

 

This is incredibly important... at my 1st autocross (not long ago), I wasn't able to get anything to eat until after my runs (and I had missed breakfast, natch). My blood sugar was so low I drove pretty poorly, and didn't have much fun doing it. Now I take sandwiches

-buji

 

Don't be afraid to go slow through one corner to go fast through the next!

 

Talk to people. The crowd is very friendly and we LOVE newcomers.

It's sort of like the crack dealer that gives Billy his first hit for free...

 

Bring a chair. Assuming you have some downtime where you don't have to run/work, you'll be kicking yourself if you leave it at home.

 

Are you going to the Golden Gate Field or Sac event?

I personally would recommend the Golden Gate event because they have a much stronger rookie program then the Sacramento guys. I'll be there too and can answer any questions you might, er, will have. In fact that's my job as I will be in charge of registration.

 

Definitely try to have fun. Don't go out with the expectation that you'll be competitive -- that way, if you do win, it'll be that much sweeter!

Talk to people. Like I told the newcomers at our autocross this past weekend, I have never seen people bite at an autocross. There are a few people who are full of themselves, but you can generally pick them out right away because no one else is talking to them either. Just ask at registration who you might be able to talk to -- maybe someone with a similar car, or someone in the same class if there isn't an actual "novice coordinator" -- and they should be able to hook you up.

Let us know how it goes!

Karen

 

The most important:

Leave all your trash at home in a big garbage baig. Anything not essential in your trunk and glove box should removed or you will have a frustrating time to get them out and place them where no one guards your stuff.

Take out your spare tire and jack or anything that may move around and weight heavy, like subwoofer box..etc. Your trunk and rear seats should be empty, period. Go there with 1/4 of gas, every bit of weight contributes to that .01 sec that's so crucial sometimes.

Get a good night sleep, I never get a good sleep on weekend nights, so I always end up going to AutoX with only 3 or 4 hours of sleep....

wear sport outfits and sneakers as you will have to run around to pick up cones. Bring a cap if your area haves strong sun UV rating, or you will go home with a red face.


[Modified by nEoMuGen, 5:42 AM 10/24/2001]

 

Yeah but you get thrown out of gas stations! hahahaha... hooligans....

i forgot how tiring it was driving 2 cars in the event and riding with about 6 others to show them the line... and i cant wait for next time!

-Ryan


[Modified by Type-RJ, 12:45 AM 10/24/2001]

 

I'll second that if you've got any questions, Jeremy is definitely one of many cool people to ask.

 

visit my help page
http://home.dejazzd.com/mlouie/autocross.html

 

Thanks for the thumbs up. I hope to see you at another SF event some time, maybe this weekend?

 

Thanks for all the tips guys.

Hey Geratol, I'm going to Slush at Golden Gate Fields. Maybe I'll bump into you there.

 

Definitely let us all know how the weekend goes for you. I think I can predict how it'll be. You'll meet a bunch of cool people and be surrounded by sweet cars. You'll learn a lot and have a blast. And you'll be hooked.

 

Of course you'll be hooked... i've had people ride with me and get hooked off of rides in the car! Its a sick, sick disease..... speed lust..... good luck!

 

I should be at the Saturday Enduro event in Sac. Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it to any of the events this coming Sunday. I agreed to help a friend swap his suspension. And last Sunday I had to work...again. Argh...I need seat time! Maybe i'll see you on Saturday?

 

That's how I got hooked! And get this--the first run was in an old Scirocco! The driver was just amazing, getting everything out of that car and running with all the muuuuuch higher powered cars. I think I'm going to go into withdrawl since my first autocross was also the last of the season...*shudder*

 

I'll be working the registration desk so I bump into everyone. Be sure to point yourself out and I'll get you pointed in the right direction. Be sure to check out http://www.sfrscca.com and figure out what class your car is in and read up on how the whole event works. I'll be there at 7am if you want to arive early and get some pointers.

I was sooo tempted by the Sac Enduro runs but I need to defend my first place title in SFR. Driving up to Sac on friday, run saturday, back to SF on saturday night, then Golden Gate Fields at 7am is not going to happen for me this weekend. I did it once before and let me say I was a zombie at work on monday.

Good luck with the suspension swap.

 

Do i pump up my tires to 40psi around once I get there or before at a gas station? Are there air compressors on site?

 

I used to pump my tires before I arrived at an event (cheapest method) but I went to home depot and picked up an air tank for $30. I would offer to let you use my air tank but it's only big enough to properly fill one car.

 

You probably can borrow air from someone on-site one time but don't count on it all the time as people who have tanks usually need the air themselves. The first thing you should buy is a GOOD quality air gauge. Buy a 60 psi gauge from Racer Wholesale (www.racerwholesale.com) Probably about $30.

Don't skimp on the gauge. I used to have a $15 digital gauge from PepBoys. I was shocked to find it was off by more than 10psi from several other people's gauges.

Always use the same gauge to set your pressures. Even if its not 100% accurate it will give the same reading from one week to the next.